Oil-well cleaner.



NER/15,677. PATENTED EEB. ze, l1907.

l R. E. ERRE. A 01E WELL CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED PBB.13. 1906.l

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l flows into said tube.

UTE@ STATES FAINYI OFFICE.Y

REUBEN H. BARE, OF OROUTT, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO HARRY H. LEWIS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

OIL-WELL CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed February 13, 1,906. Serial No. 300,905.

To all wir/07u t nt/,oy concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN H. BARE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Orcutt, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil-Well Oleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for cleaning the lining tubes or casings of oil-wells to secure the free and unrestricted flow of oil thereto from the bearing strata.

Asis well known, the bores of oil-wells are lined by tubular casings extending from top to bottom thereof, the bottom of each casing being suitably closed and perforations provided in the wall of the casing to permit the oil to flow therein. With the iniiowing oil sand, grit, and other particles pass into the casing, and in course of time the perforations or inlets become clogged by the accumulation of foreign matter therein, thus restricting the fiow of oil and capacity of the well.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective construction of device whereby the perforations of the casing may be quickly and conveniently freed from the foreign particles collected therein when they become clogged.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the lower ortion of a well-tube, showing the cleaning evice inserted therein and illustrated as nearing the limit of its downstroke. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, representing the cleaning device in` the preliminary movement of its upstroke.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents an oilwell tube or lining provided at its lower end with a suitable closure 2 and formed with rows of apertures or perforations 3, through which the oil from the boring rock or sand The oil is pumped to the surface in a manner well understood by those versed in the art, but in course of time the perforations 3 become clogged by sand, paraffin, and other deposits, and the capacity of the well is correspondingly decreased.

In carrying my invention into practice I provide a plunger composed of a hollow or tubular body portion 4 open at each end and provided adjacent its up er end with a seat 6 for an upwardly-movab e hinged iap-valve 7.

The upper and lower ends lof the body are externally threaded, as indicated at 8 and 9,

respectively, and surrounding the same between said threaded portions is a packingsleeve 10, made of rubber, canvas, or of a composite material. This sleeve or gasket increases the diameter of the plunger-body to a proper extent to snugly conform to the'internal diameter of the well-tube 1. The sleeve is retained in position by upper and lower adjusting collars or nuts 11 and 12 engaging the threaded portions 8 and 9, and engaging the latter-named threaded portion is also a threaded collar or nut 13, which acts as a lock-nut to hold the collar or nut 12 against retrograde rotation. By adjusting the collars or nu ts 1 1 and 1,2 the washers composing the gasket orpacking-sleeve may be adjusted to fit snugly together to prevent the passage of oil therebetween and held firmly in such adjusted position. The plunger is provided at its upper end with a head 14 of reduced diameter with respect thereto and to the well-tube 1 and formed with vertical longitudinal ports or passages 15, adapted to communicate with the tube above the body of the plunger and with the interior of the tubular body. The lower end of the head is threaded, as indicated at 16, for engagement with the upper extremity of the threaded portion S and serves as a lock-nut to hold the collar or nut 1l from movement. The head also has a reduced threaded upper end 17 for coupling engagement with the working barrel or tubing, as shown at 18.

In operation the device is inserted into the well and coupled to the working barrel or tubing, so as to be reciprocated when the tubing is pulled from the well and replaced. On the downward movement of the tubing the oil contained in the lower portion of the casing will flow up into the tubular body 4 and automatically close the valve 7, which will prevent the oil from flowing into the casing above the plunger, and consequently as the tubing continues to descend the oil in advance thereof will be forcibly ejected below through the perforations or apertures 3 in the casing below the plunger, thus washing out the deposits. The oil displaced from the casing by the cleanser will be forced back `into the bearing rock or strata, and a portion of the same will enter the casing through the apertures 3 above the cleanser-body and will remain therein during the descent of the IOO tubing7 owing to the fact that the valve 7 will be held by the pressure of oil below. Upon the upward movement of the tubing the valve 7 will open under pressure of the oil above and the relief afforded below by the escape of the oil from the body-casing7 and the oil contained in the casing above the cleanser will therefore flow, together with all the accompanying impurities7 through the ports 15 in the head 14 and thence down through the tube 4. The operation above described is repeated as long as necessary until the pertorations 3 are clear and the normal production of the well restored.

l wish it to be understood that the body i portion of the plunger 4 is provided at its upper end with a portion 5, constructed of a diameter smaller than the lower end of the plunger, and a surrounding shoulder 6 is formed contiguous with the portion 5. Said portion and shoulder serves to form the valve-seat 6 and prevents the oil from having an upward passage when said valve is in contact with said seat.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- An oil-well cleaner comprising a plunger with a tubular body portion, a head arranged above the same7 said body portion having at its upper end a portion 5 smaller in diameter than the lower end of the plunger7 a surrounding shoulder contiguous with the portion 5 said portion and shoulder serving to form a valve-seat and a hinged valve adapted to close upwardly against said seat as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

REUBEN H. BARE. lVitn esses:

l/V. H. GrosLrNnI A. H. Soo'rT. 

